Bring a good selection of gear (up to 2"), and a 9/16 knob tie-off for the first pitch (above the roofs). The first two pitches don't take much gear, but the last one needs a variety. I had to go a full 60m to reach the top from the second pair of bolts. Bring a lot of runners.

The first time i tried this route i got off route mid second pitch and joined up with Haystack. Doh!

The second time, about a week ago, i improved by staying on route until the third pitch. However, on the third pitch i basically went straight up which involved a 5.10 bulge move 50 feet above the third anchor. which was definitely not on route.

So now, by process of elimination, i think i finally know where the third pitch goes:

start by stepping left, clip a piton, then angle up and right. If you encounter moves harder than 5.9, move more right (but don't join up with Scimitar). After a bulge at about 50 feet, you basically wander all over the place on easy stuff to the summit (use runners on all pieces to reduce rope drag). The way i finished, i pulled a cool 5.7 roof right below the top and belayed about 15 feet right of the top of Haystack.

Originally the route had no bolts. Royal led the first pitch and belayed off two lost arrow pitons hand-placed behind the fragile the flake right below the current bolted anchor. He did this because "I thought that, being British, Ken would approve of the anchor... but he didn't at all."

Ok, i climbed this route again on May 14 and followed my beta for the third pitch below... started left off the anchor, clipped a shiny fixed piton, precarious lieback to a big roof then traversed right, got some good gear, then went back up and left over the roofs. this was easier than that direct 5.10 way i did. but much worse rope drag. you probably have to do the last pitch in two pitches the way i did...

BUT

i think next time i am going to try starting right off the belay... that looks easier.

The climbing is mostly easy but the runouts are hard to ignore. We found more pro than we expected though. I all but emptied the rack into the first pitch, including a small stopper 25 feet up the initial slab. We climbed the third pitch more or less like Chris described on May 14 and also suffered rope drag at the top. One note: the second pin John Black mentions in his beta page is gone, but pro is readily available in the vicinity of the remaining rust stain.

I suppose you could go right from the belay on pitch three, but wouldn't that put you on The Last Sandwich? I found it odd to watch a neighboring climber on Haystack, a short easy stroll from where I was trying to work out the funky and slightly lichenous path through the slabs and blocks to the top. Maybe staying on line is contrived? Debatable perhaps, but it was worth it.

The overview above mentions the option of rappelling, but at the top you'll find two holes. Clip a pair of tennies to your harness and buck up for the twenty minute walk down through the forest.

The route was pretty good, except I was at a loss on where to go on the third pitch. Huh I went right off of the belay to an obvious fixed pin, then slightly left to the layback back, right while uinderclimbing an overlap, cleared a bulge then up to some gear then back left, mantle then up to a crack/flake, right to a fixed pin, up an arete then over these wild overlaps. It looked clean and there was chalk, big runouts and some difficult moves. But was I on route???

My experience on Fantasia in May 08 and the last two beta posts prompt this input:

For at least three years, there were two fixed attachments on the third pitch that were readily visible from its belay. One was a shiny fixed pin up and left (11 o'clock, 10 feet out) that's now missing. The other was up and off to the right, perhaps 15 feet out, rusty and as I recollect a bolt, not a pin, but maybe wrong. The significance is... with the fixed pin to the left gone, newbies to the route will see the fixed attachment to the right and figure it marks the way. Which I think was a harder more runout variation, having experienced it once as a follower.

The Super Topo (c2004 book) shows a pin off the belay (11oclock position about 10 feet up) to the start of the third pitch. That pin is no longer there. Petch (a couple of months ago) indicated it had been there 7-8 years. Given the terrain in that area... my opinion is that it should be replaced.

On 23 April 08 Trad wrote: "I have a slight disagreement with the ST topo on the 3rd pitch, though. I've always gone the way it indicates as .10b (based on my first time up there, pre-ST, when my partner did an excellent job of leading and routefinding on that pitch). There's a balancey (sp?) mantle move onto a very large dike, but it doesn't feel more than 5.9 to me. And you can protect with multiple pieces in a horizontal crack just below the dike.

It was an ego boost to see the .10b rating but I sure didn't consider myself a .10b leader the first time I led it. Once, after seeing the ST topo, I explored the '5.9' variation to the right but it looked a lot scarier and dirtier so I retreated back to the more familiar '.10b' variation. Otherwise the topo seems pretty spot on."

I was the one who popped the pin on a fall about two clips above it, about 2 and a half years ago. It must have been directly fallen upon recently before I popped it as the piton was kinda gnarled. Sorry to all who climb after me. If the person who set the pin wants it back I would be happy to send it to them.

Climbed this for the first time yesterday after overlooking it for a while.

The first pitch is awesome, 5 star fun, and the topo is spot on except the "5.9 reachy crux 15 feet below the anchors and 15 feet above your last gear" in the route description is noted as 5.8 R on the topo. FWIW, the move felt more like 5.9 than 5.8.

The second pitch was fun, and didn't seem capital R runout after doing the first pitch.

Third pitch: We also did the 10b variation, which seemed easier than that, and does take decent pro at that crux, as the topo says.

I'd say, if you're solid on 5.9 and want a heady challenge, go climb this now.

In response to the question about pitch 3, I climbed straight up the slab directly beneath the roof (to the right of the corner). The slab begins with a high-step onto it which is the crux. For this move, I was about 3 feet above the piton (which sounds like it is now gone, but you can probably still get some thin gear in that general area). After that the slab is easier, but still heady, and you get some knobs towards the end. I think for most people this will prove to be the mental crux of the climb. I remember it being a rude awakening after strolling up the first two pitches.

I had trouble on finding route on third pitch. I climbed right to rusty piton and did not like the looks of it above, came back to belay, climbed left, got almost to Haystack and decided to get back to belay. I found a decent looking lieback in a corner but seemed too flaring and shallow to get in gear and with big roofs above with no visible gear, and none since the belay, I headed back to belay again. I ended up going back right to piton and traversing dikes and cracks to Schimitar and finished 3rd pitch of schimitar. This was actually pretty fun and easy to get to and well protected, but I wish I could have figured out the 3rd pitch. If there was a fixed piece below the start of that lieback, which is I think in the vicinity of the piton that was pulled in the discussions above, it would make it much more doable for mere mortals like myself.

The first 2 pitches were awesome, the crux on the first was route finding, gear was decent. The roof looked intimidating from under it but was easy. Second pitch very little gear but very easy so never nervous. The third stumped me. It just looked delicate to roof with no gear in sight.
Was that lieback in a corner the way to go?

still no pin on the third pitch crux.
it makes for a good runout off
the anchor.
it is not too difficult thru
this section if you follow the
decent feet.

i dealt with this situation
by linking pitch two and
part of pitch three.
just clip the anchor and
then climb the crux.
that way
if you blow the move above the bolted
2nd anchor, you have some redundancy
in your safety chain.

rope drag shouldn't be a problem
since there is little gear on pitch two
and with a 60 meter rope
you can reach a solid anchor
(.75 camelot size crack)
about 40' above the bolted second anchor.

wow this seems to be gettin' a little crazy, Please relax folks.
Done the route over 30 years, about 10 times. The first time was in 80' and we ended up finishing Scimitar highly dehydrated, But truly had an adventure.
2 years later I did the actual route( remembering Royals FA, with Don W. in his climbing manuals all the time). Great route if you have spent any serious time at the leap you know what you are in for , complaining about a pin here or there is kinda missing the point of "Fantasia". Just climb.
The modern world of which piece at which move is knott the real climbing experience. Go out and have an adventure and figure it out for yourself.

Heavy dude, just like the brilliance of the first ascent.
Speaking of pins in 80' on the first belay was a super long dong dropped behind a flake ,that was hand placed....HaHahha.Now there is hardware what a disgrace.
It's almost like the republicans are trying to make climbing safer for everyone.

I think you meant Liberals. Liberals are the ones that want to make everything equal and sanitized so that everyone has an equal opportunity. Everyone knows that. So hows that utopia working out for you?

Anyway, don't ever remember a pin there. Just have your belayer give you tons of slack for a soft catch. Watch those ankles, tuck n roll.

Speaking of pins, when did all the pins show up on Fear No Evil? Only remember one being there. Now there's one in every unprotectable crack. Freakin Libs;)

I changed my mind regarding need for a pin off the third belay. Roof about 20' up at 11 o'clock protects well w thin gear. Other caveat remains though - don't get lured into going 2 o'clock direction by the clearly visible rusty pin over there unless 5.10 terrain is what you're after.

Also for completeness sake, hit the mantle at the top, last move. (Compare to OW, last move, on Bears Reach.) Fun, five points extra credit! :)

*What is "Route Beta"?
It's climber slang for information or tips on a route as in, "what's
the beta on that route?" As a service to fellow climbers we ask SuperTopo
guidebook users to post tips and updates to this website if they have relevant
information to share after a climb.